They Were Kids That I Once Knew
by Katie1995
Summary: Song-fic/One-Shot! River was far too real to Effie, because she could still feel the body pressed against hers as Effie wiped the girl's red, blotchy cheeks. She remembered the jumpy breathing that was so disorganised against hers. Please R&R!


**(A/N – I don't own **_**The Hunger Games **_**or the characters in any way; all rights are reserved to Suzanne Collins.)**

**They Were Kids That I Once Knew**

Effie watched in anticipation as her tribute ran for her life through the desert; River was about to make it through the fringe of the trees when she was caught by the boy from District 2's net. But Effie wasn't quick enough to close her eyes, and she saw the boy plunge the sword into her last tribute's stomach.

_Tell me everything that happened__  
__Tell me everything you saw_

"Excuse me," Effie pardoned herself from the viewing room and swiftly past Haymitch who held tightly onto his flask of whiskey. She should be used to this, she thought as she pushed the doors open. She shouldn't be sad... it was in her job description!

_They had lights inside their eyes__  
__They had lights inside their eyes_

And even though she ran quickly, she could still picture the girl who once has so much life in her eyes. When she laughed, Effie could see the child inside of her, but now that child was dead and there was nothing that could be done about it.__

_Did you see the closing window?__  
__Did you hear the slamming door?__  
_

But as Effie reached her room, her knees failed her so she slumped onto her bed. Closing her eyes, the face of the twelve year old girl flashed through her mind. She could picture every last second of the girl's life... the spear going through her stomach, the cry that emitted from her chest as she realised what had happened, the gasps that she made as she fought against her untimely death. But most of all, she could still see the lights fading from the girl's eyes as the life left her body; how she died _alone_!

_They moved forward, my heart died__  
__They moved forward, my heart died_

Effie remembered the sound of the hovercraft as it came to collect the small body from the arena. She couldn't look up completely in fear of breaking down in front of the stylists and Haymitch – it was completely irrational for her to do, of course.__

_Please, please tell me what they look like__  
__Did they seem afraid of you?_

But as the images flickered behind her eyelids, she remembered the night the girl, River, woke up sobbing. It was the girl's cries that woke Effie up, and as she padded down the corridors and made her way to River's room, she opened the hesitantly to reveal a shaking tribute looking at her with wide eyes.

Effie let herself into the room, but the girl pulled back, the lights in the corridors reflecting off her grey orbs. Effie half smiled, but stayed where she was in case she frightened the girl further more.

"I heard you crying," Effie whispered, softly, her hands clasping together weakly.

The girl she spoke to wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her pyjama top and shook her head. "I want to go home," the girl whispered back, her voice cracking when she mentioned the word 'home.'

Effie caught her breath and the girl let more tears pour down her cheeks. Coughing, Effie cleared her throat; there was nothing she could say to the child to comfort her, nothing she could say would be the truth, for both the escort and child knew, that the tributes this year from District 12 had very slim chances of becoming victor of the seventieth annual Hunger Games.

"I wouldn't count yourself out, darling," Effie replied, her eyes meeting River's for the first time. But River's tears were still fresh.

"I'm going to die!" She exclaimed in a hush whisper, "and my mother will never see me again, I will never see my sister again, and a person who doesn't even know me will kill me like that!" River clicked her fingers and Effie realised for the first time in months how much she hated her job.

"Come here," Effie soothed, opening her arms widely. The girl looked at her suspiciously, but as more tears claimed her, River pushed herself out of her bed and walked into Effie's arms where she was embraced into a tight hug.

And that's when she stopped the memory.

Because Effie Trinket, the escort for District 12 couldn't bear to remember how she stroked the girl's brown curls and kissed the top of her head.

_They were kids that I once knew__  
__They were kids that I once knew_

Her eyes shot open and a tear slipped out from the corner of her eye. Wiping it away quickly, her fingers curled around the bed mattress tightly as a figure materialised in the doorway, the small silver object giving away the person who had intruded on her.__

_I could say it, but you won't believe me__  
__You say you do, but you don't deceive me_

"Go away, Haymitch," Effie muttered, the anger she wanted to throw at him not clearly showing through the haze of pain she felt.

"You're upset." His words weren't spiteful or angry, but rather sympathetic.

"How would you know?" she asked a second too soon.

"Because I saw you the other night, Effie," he whispered smoothly back.

___It's hard to know they're out there__  
__It's hard to know that you still care_

"Gone," Effie said as Haymitch walked further towards her, "gone and dead, just like that." Effie clicked her fingers like River did before the games.

___I could say it but you won't believe me__  
__You say you do but you don't deceive me__  
__Dead hearts are everywhere__  
__Dead hearts are everywhere_

Haymitch took his place next to Effie and a moment of silence passed between the two before a man's voice sliced the atmosphere again. "I understand how you feel." Effie scoffed slightly, her eyes fluttering towards the middle-aged man's face. When did he care about what she felt?

"Why should you care about me?"

Haymitch looked down towards the small silver flask in his hands before he placed it on the small bedside table. "Is it a crime to ask?"__

_Did you touch them, did you hold them?__  
__Did they follow you to town?_

"I got too close to her," Effie admitted finally. "I got too close to her and then she died and a part of me died with her." She breathed out slowly and as she remembered the small girl's arms wrapping around her.

"Many people make that mistake, Effie." But Haymitch's words of comfort didn't affect her in the way she wanted them too. Instead they made her angry.

"I shouldn't be doing that!" Effie exclaimed, loudly. "I should be far cleverer than that, Haymitch. It's in my job description and yet I can't help but go with what I should deny._  
_

_They make me feel I'm falling down__  
__They make me feel I'm falling down_

Haymitch placed an awkward hand on Effie's shoulder as she dropped her head into her hands. The world seemed far too much for her today.

"It's okay," Haymitch comforted, although he had a hard time in finding ways to help the woman so obviously in denial of herself.__

_Was there one you saw too clearly?__  
__Did they seem too real to you?_

And River was far too real to Effie, because she could still feel the body pressed against hers as Effie wiped the girl's red, blotchy cheeks. She remembered the jumpy breathing that was so disorganised against hers. And through everything, she remembered the whispered 'thank you' the girl gave her as Effie tucked her back into bed.

___They were kids that I once knew__  
__They were kids that I once knew_

But now, she was someone she once knew.

___They were kids that I once knew__  
__They were kids that I once knew__  
__Now they're all dead hearts to you__  
__Now they're all dead hearts to you_

The woman lifted her head and although she didn't want Haymitch to see, her tears ran, albeit with difficulty, down her cheeks, removing make-up and powder as they went.

"It's okay to cry," he breathed.

"Not for me," she replied, quickly.

And Haymitch realised that he would never quite understand the woman that called herself District 12's escort, because although through everything, she seemed so shallow and naive, there was a fragility he couldn't seem to pin-point.

"I think I'll stay in here for a while," Effie continued. Haymitch nodded because in a way, he understood. Not because he had grown too fond of a tribute, but because he had lost those he had grown to love in the past.__

_They were kids that I once knew__  
__They were kids that I once knew__  
__Now they're all dead hearts to you_

As Haymitch's footsteps faded back into the corridors and blended with those of the Avoxs, Effie let herself lay back onto the bed. She was tired and upset, and although she battled to stay awake, she could not. However, throughout the whole night, one person weaved within her dreams.

That one person was River. The girl who Effie used to know.

**A/N – This song is just so... perfect. It explains the Hunger Games so well and I know I could've done Katniss in this song-fic, but I decided in Effie.**

**Do you like this concept? Feedback's very much appreciated!**

**Thanks, Katie1995.**


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